Ministry authorizes inspections of plant cargo in warehouses

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) has authorized physical inspections of cargo of plant origin, such as wood, which will be inspected outside of containers in customs areas or Redex. The authorization was granted in response to a request made by the National Forum of Forest-Based Activities (FNBF). The last meeting to discuss the issue with members of the ministry took place last Tuesday (26.11). The entity is awaiting a response regarding another request, that the fumigation of these products may be carried out outside of customs areas.

FNBF President Frank Rogieri explained that the two requests benefit important sectors of the economy, such as forestry, cotton, sesame, and beans, which undergo inspection and fumigation, which is the application of chemical products to combat pests. He emphasized that Minister Carlos Fávaro, who heads MAPA, has been very sensitive to the requests of the productive sector. “Our requests aim to speed up these processes, without, however, losing all the existing security, which is necessary for exports to occur,” he highlighted.

Before the inspection was authorized, the procedure carried out by MAPA inspection could only take place inside containers and at ports, Customs Stations (EADIs) and Special Areas for Export Customs Clearance (Redex). “With this authorization, cargo inspections can be carried out outside containers for export,” added the president of FNBF.

The entity is awaiting a position from the Government regarding the fumigation of these loads. According to the Forum, it is possible for it to be carried out in approved back-end warehouses, inside the container or outside, in a previously authorized area. “This would greatly speed up exports, since we currently have a bottleneck, delaying the shipment of products, generating costs for producers and exporters and losses for the chains. This change would not pose any phytosanitary risk, and we do not want that to happen,” Rogieri pointed out.

The products to be fumigated in these warehouses would be already processed wood (sawn wood, decks, wood veneers, among other processed products), popcorn, beans, and cotton. “This release from MAPA represents an important step forward and we expect a response regarding the fumigation issue,” concluded the president.